Monday, September 19, 2011
My new single "Ballin" is FINALLY available for download on www.GoodMusicAllDay.com
IM BAAAACK!!
Labels: 23, air jordan, ballin, Dad Lazenby, fade, flat top, good music all day, hi top, high top, hip hop, jumpman, logo, michael jordan, rap, Sir Lazenby
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Other performances include my local favorites NOBOTS and DJ Wick It, as well as Todd 1ne, Vikings, and Evervigilant. DOPENESS
For more info visit the Facebook event invite
And check out these dope fliers that DJ Bateman did!
PEACE
Labels: dj bateman, dj wick-it, dopeness, hip hop, nobots, yung and ugly
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
I never quite gave yall my official opinion of The Blueprint 3.... Well, its classic. Hands down. Only song I cant stand to listen to is the Kid Cudi joint. Mad boring. But besides that, Jay did it again. And it different, its fresh, its current, and relevant. Jay is a beast at that. Stayin relevant. Not to mention, the whole live concert on Fuse last Friday on Sept 11th was a GENIUS idea. Ppl were already singin the words to the album, and all the guests on the album made appearances just like in Fade To Black.
So with that being said, I have already set my money aside to buy the best freakin tickets available the MOMENT they go on sale. Hov is def in my top 5. But yes i know, he's in your top 5 too. Thats why Jay-Z is what he is. He is not only vital to Hip Hop but all popular music and culture. Jay is and has been the official spokesperson for Hip Hop to the world. What is Hip Hop? Look at Jay. And you know thats the truth. I'm sure everybody goes thru periods where Hov gets dropped from their top spot, but he always does somethin to reassume his position.
I FINALLY have the opportunity to see him live. Dream come true. Well... actually, dream is the collab. But this shall do.... for now anyway lol
PEACE
Labels: hip hop, jay-z, the blueprint 3, vanderbilt university
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Openmic has been my partner in crime when it comes to music since trading church freestyles back when I was like 13 haha. Together we are Clean Cut (dont ask me what it is exactly, i really dont know myself yet lol), but over the years it has become our common "mission statement"... that not only sets us apart and defines us as artists, but continually stretches our potential and keeps us musically focused and driven. Its been amazing to me to really see how me and Mike have grown so far apart if u listen to our music, but still remain eerily in the same mindset with our drive and passion. We have that Big Boi/Andre 3000 complex. I cant BEGIN to tell you how different we are musically... but still it works.
We have both come such a long way, and are both FINALLY beginning to tap into our own styles, images, and personas. Me as the waaaaay left, "out-there", techno rappin, melody singin, pop music makin artist; with Openmic as the hip hop guru, graffiti, dope lyricism, full-blood emcee.
Openmic's latest project is a mixtape entitled Fresh: The Lost Tapes, which is a compliation of unreleased tracks dating back to last year that he is finally making available to the public. Its a free download... u cant beat that. And anybody that knows Mike, knows that every track he does beats the one he just did cuz he progresses just THAT much. So this is a MUST have for not only Hip Hop fans but all those that appreciate passionate music. The passion is in the lyrics, his growth, and his freakin trailer for the mixtape haha. HOW COME I CANT HAVE A MIXTAPE TRAILER!!?!?!? lol check it out
Anyway, be sure to cop Openmic's latest mixtape NOW. Like I said, its free. Hit him up on his Twitter or Myspace. And definitely get ready to see more of him.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FRESH: THE LOST TAPES
PEACE
Labels: clean cut, fresh, hip hop, openmic
Thursday, March 26, 2009
I was raised on Gospel, contemporary christian, and jazz, so thats my foundation: God and the complexity of melodies, rhythms, chords, and the theory/science of music.
Middle school was when I really got into hip hop, so thats my heart: ill lyricism, heavy beats, and the overall history and impact of rap on african american and all of pop culture.
And when I got to Belmont University, I really got into literally everything else (minus country haha), so thats my evolution: studying and appreciating the art of making a great song in any genre, the the perfection and clarity of good engineering and production, and clever songwriting.
In high school, I was all hip hop.... nothing else. Roots, Talib, Yeezy, Jay, etc etc. My main goal was to bring real hip hop back!!! Nothing more nothing less, I had absolutely no diversity in music, besides my jazz and gospel roots.
When I got to college I really began to appreciate the differences of other genres such as the history, development, and culture of folk, rock, techno, pop, etc etc. The first "diverse" song I did was playing a saxophone solo on a folk song freshman year. Lol it was DIFFERENT but I loved it. And thats how the seed got planted. I havent been in the most "hip hop" atmosphere with me not being at an HBCU and being exposed to so many other genres here. And I'm forever grateful for that.
My sound now has evolved into a reflection of my influences:
Norwegian singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche
Sri Lankan superstar M.I.A.
UK Electronica singer/producer Calvin Harris
And the list goes on.
So thats why I say hip hop is boring sometimes to me. Dont get me wrong, I LOVE HIP HOP... I AM HIP HOP... Im a PRODUCT of HIP HOP MUSIC AND CULTURE. But Im forever on a quest to grow musically, lyrically, spiritually, conceptually, culturally, etc.... and hip hop ALONE no longer satisfies that. And thats why lately Ive been on a search to get my inspirational fix in other places than just rap music. Rap is my home, my heart, my main influence, and my comfort zone in music. I can always depend on hip hop, so its been such a challenge for me to branch outside of that and expand my musical repertoire. As a result, I'm a more well versed, well rounded artist, and able to not only appeal to a wider fan base, but also able to relate with fans of other genres. Ill kick it with somebody in a second and chat it up about Drake's new mixtape, and in the same day discuss with another friend Chromeo's CRAZY Electronica vibe.
Music is the universal language, and Im tryna to be multilingual lol. Im very happy in the direction I'm maturing musically and I'm always open to learn about and check out a great artist. Hit me up if its somebody u think I need to check out, im all ears lol
ANYWAY, its late... and i still aint done any homework..... and the Tyra show is on and its pissin me off, but im too lazy to get the remote...
oh, and if u dont know him, get up on your Sondre Lerche game... dude is ridiculous
Sondre Lerche - Phantom Punch
PEACE
Labels: calvin harris, chromeo, hip hop, m.i.a., sondre lerche
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Then I'll get really sick of him...
Then he'll come out with another crazy track that'll make me put him back in heavy rotation....
Well... Wayne just got put back into my heavy rotation
My dude Robb Lazenby let me hear this new Lil Wayne track earlier this week... OMG it hit so haaarrrddd, the hook is ridiculous. "We like her, and we like her too, We like her...and she likes us too. I wish i could ---- every girl in the world." Hahaha thats like, every niggaz anthem... Every males anthem, to be real. Ladies dont hate me, im just bein real. Im happily in a relationship NOW... however, that song did speak to the more indecisive, player days... when i just appreciated what every different woman had to offer, how different and unique her beauty, attractiveness, strengths and levels of sensitivty were.....
BUT, im gonna get myself in trouble haha, I've moved on to appreciating everything about a single woman and really connecting with just ONE woman on soooo deep of a level that it creates a special bond between the two of us... (love u baby)
But still.... this Wayne track speaks truth lol
The best part of the song besides the hook are the features. Drake kills it (dont even get me started on Drake), Jae Millz-likewise.... and Mack Maine???? MURDERS IT!! This song is crazy. Check it out. Its been circulating around the internet as "Filet Mignon" however I doubt its the name of the track cuz its only one random line Wayne uses in his verse.
Check it out
Filet Mignon www.hiphopearly.com - Lil Wayne
If u feeling it, its available to download at this link:
http://www.zshare.net/audio/548455632e3a71a4/
Lil Wayne is STILL that nigga lol... blog on Drake comin sooooon
PEACE
Labels: drake, hip hop, lil wayne
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
I know everyone is gettin tired of the "hip hop is dead" debates. But just to put an end to that madness, its not.
Its evolving. Music is evolving, the economy is evolving. There is no recession in music, great music is released everyday. Theres a problem with the labels, consumers, and what the music industry stands for. In the same way, I dont think there is a full blown recession in the economy. The problems is with the consumers and corporations. People panic, cant handle change, cant handle something different. Companies freak out, people hoard their money, less cash circulates, media blows things out of proportion, and the economy is jolted.
Now back to the music industry. Music is changing. Music reinvents itself, recycles, etc etc. The movement in music overall, from pop to hip hop to country, is shifting. Music consumers cant handle change... labels freak out because the internet makes it harder for them to reach profit margins, consumers overreact, so called "original and real" music lovers blow everything out of proportion.
Its all related. This is just a time of change, the world is an adjustment phase. Once the companies find ways to profit off of consumers again, all will be well. Consumers will feel more comfortable and spend more. We are spoiled in this technological age, and have forgotten how to think for ourselves. Thats why the only relevant new artists in music have launched their own career without the industry. Labels have fallen behind in marketing and using technology to their advantage. Soulja Boy, Charles Hamilton, Cool Kids, whoever, thats all creativity and thinking outside the box. They learned to take advantage of this change and adapt to it.
I relate all of that to myself. Im growing, evolving.... changing and maturing into the artist I was meant to be. My sound, lyrics, influences, they are all narrowing. And as a result, I am more focused. Its funny how everything works together like that. Many of my friends and acquaintances have panicked, they talk about my new style as unfamiliar, not real, different, and they blow things out of proportions. I am a produt of what I listen to, a product of my influences, "product of the game", the hustle, the internet, the people i was raised looking up to, from CEO's to artists. I see the outcome of this situation like that of the economy and the music industry. It will just take a while for you all to catch on. But then when you do (which u will...), everything will be back to normal. So say what u want now, cuz not long from now its gonna all make sense and u will see the big picture. Until then Ima keep doin me
PEACE
Labels: hip hop, inspiration
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Maaaan... Real talk. Kanye West is my favorite rapper.
He is definitely in the top 10 of my favorite artists period. No debate about it. You all remember the movie Brown Sugar when Sanaa Lathan's main question was "When did you fall in love with Hip Hop?" Well, personally I've enjoyed Hip Hop music since middle school when I began to write verses and dream about being an artist. But there has been no other single defining moment for Hip Hop and I comparable to the first time I heard Kanye's debut album College Dropout. That was when I fell in love with the artform, personality, swag, cockiness, and overall state of mind with Hip Hop. Until Kanye, all the artists I listened to, enjoyed, and emulated, I could never truthfully relate and identify with them or their lyrics.
For me, Kanye represented my assurance that there was a place in rap for someone like me. I never sold drugs, never could front as a thug, never disrespected women. I was raised in the church, my parents always made sure I was at the best educational institutions even at a young age. And back then I didnt even understand all the drug and crime references anyway lol. So as much as I tried to "lose myself in the music" according to Eminem, there was always a barrier between Hip Hop and I that kept me from fully feeling like I belonged.
But I'll never forget the effect that the Kan-man had on me. Sophomore year of high school in '04, I saw the "Through the Wire" music video on BET and I had no idea who Kanye West was. But I was so intruiged because I had never heard someone be so passionate, convincing, and emotional about every single word in their music. Sitting on the couch in my parents' living room with the television volume completely up, I could connect with everything he said, even with his "mouth wired shut" as he proclaimed in the middle of the video hahaha
The song stuck with me. I went to school humming the sped up Chaka Khan sample in my head. Everyday after class I'd rush home to catch the video on Rap City and again on 106 & Park.
It was rough, unrefined, and low budget... but it was real. For the first time Hip Hop was real to me.
I went to Tower Records (R.I.P.) the week College Dropout came out, and bought it with no hesitation. I never anticipated hearing an album so much. I waited til I got home, locked myself in my room to avoid distractions, popped the disc in my CD player, turned the volume completely up, and pressed play. I then opened the first page of the liner notes, just as the CD began
"Kanye, can I talk to you for a minute? Me and the other faculty members was wonderin could you do a lil somethin...a lil sumthin beautiful... somethin that the kids are doin... love when the hear it, thats gon start make em jumpin up and down and sharin candy and stuff. You think you could prollly do somethin for the kids for graduation to siiiing?"
And then it happened....
For the entire 71 minutes and 8 seconds of the album, I entered a state of complete bliss and altered consciousness. Song after song, my ears studied every single aspect of the tracks, from the way he flipped each soul sample, to his flow and how he didnt stack his vocals like most rappers. One track for each verse. It made his lyrics more meaningful and concise... more conversation... more personal. He was speaking directly to the listener. My eyes followed every word closely in the liner notes. I wanted to know everything he had to say. I studied the production credits, background vocalists, featured artists, and origin of the samples
Each song produced a new emotion that I didn't know existed with rap. Kanye was speaking to me. He was telling my story. This was my life. Each track was a chapter in a novel. The result was perfection.
His lyrics were more than than punch lines and slick metaphors.... they were witty and skillfully stated, ingenious and often comical, interpretations of all the thoughts and experiences I've had but never known how to express.
Just when I thought the album was nearing its end and there were no more surprises, "Last Call" played, which was the perfect conclusion to the greatest story ever told. His lyrics were as strong as ever on this song, and after his two verses stating why he didn't deserve to be overlooked, his thoughts extended beyond rhymes. For the first time while listening to the album, I set the liner notes down and listened to Kanye's 12 minute narrative of his road to Rocafella. I closed my eyes and imagined his words
Soon after, the CD stopped. The journey was over. But I was still on an all time high. I took a notebook out my backpack and wrote everything I felt. I wrote down my goals; I wrote lyrics; I wrote about how I felt. I didnt care what it was, I just wrote it. Kanye brought new meaning to the statement "Be yourself." I was no longer afraid to be me. I was finally proud to be the non-sagging MC. The educated rapper. The lower middle class, private school enrolled, hip hop artist. Haha it all made sense. Hip Hop is what you make it, and Kanye was the first artist to open my eyes to that.
My friends and I often debate about which Kanye album is the best (excluding 808's and Heartbreak because I don't believe it falls in the same category as his previous 3).
Here's my breakdown:
>Graduation solidified him as a global rap superstar ("Stadium Status" as he calls it)
>Late Registration was the album that expanded his fan base beyond Hip Hop.
>But College Dropout is what he used to prove himself and show everyone why he belonged in the music industry as an artist. It was his formal introduction to the world. It shows his journey from "tragedy to triumph" inspite all of his setbacks, haters, letdowns, obstacles, etc. You can hear his pain, struggles, determination, struggles, fantasies, flaws, dreams, love.... everything.
And the result is a classic album, and the most relevant album of my life.
Being an artist and songwriter, there are things that inspire me almost daily, from hearing an amazing song that a friend of mine records, or facing a difficult situation in my life that spawns the necessary emotions to compel me to write, or even discovering a truly talented artist that I was formerly unfamiliar with. But College Dropout was so much more than just inspiration. It was a defining moment in my growth as an artist. 5 years later, the feeling remains. I STILL get chills everytime I hear "Through The Wire". It brings back the state of mind I was at during that time. College Dropout represents my maturity and the phase in which I began on the path to discover my place musically. And for that, I'm forever grateful to Mr. West
I didnt write this to show that Im on Kanyes nuts or anything like that. I just wanted to share the most impactful and significant moment in Hip Hop for me. After hearing that album, I became determined that music was gonna be my main focus in life no matter what. There are no barriers. My dreams are limitless, my goals are infinite. Kanye dared to be different in music's most stereotyped genre, and for me, that was the influence I needed to begin my road "from tragedy to triumph"
The world aint ready for me, my music, what I represent, etc... But just wait lol. I'm comin anyway
dang this post is loooong....
PEACE
Labels: hip hop, kanye west
Thursday, February 19, 2009
ANYWAY, our neighbors in Murfreesboro, TN have always been true to Hip Hop, with the constant house parties i hear about (and can never make it out to), the campus events at MTSU featuring some of my fav local artists (shout out to The Light), and last but not least, MTSU's own hip hop radio show BLAZIN IN DA BORO.
BLAZIN IN DA BORO airs on 88.3 FM Tuesday nights from 6-8 pm playin the best local hip hop music.
Now, anybody from Nashville knows, DONT NOBODY SHOW LOCAL RAPPERS LOVE ON THE RADIO!!! Its a shame that the only rappers we are known for is All Star signed with Cash Money records and Young Buck formerly of G-Unit (who obviously thinks crying on the phone with 50 Cent is whats hot in the streets nowadays....). So BLAZIN IN DA BORO is definitely doing what they can to show love to local acts to the fullest
In addition to the radio show, they host a monthly event called BLAZIN IN DA BORO LIVE! And best of all... its $FREE.99!! LOL
The next one is March 3rd at Wall Street in Murfreesboro (check the flier for directions and more info).
So once again I have to give props to BLAZIN IN DA BORO for blazing the path in strengthenin the hip hop scene in the Greater Nashville and Middle Tennesse area. They are always accepting submission for the radio show if you are an artist that would like to have your songs put into rotation. Hit up the WMTS website for submission details
http://www.wmts.org/
AND SUPPORT LOCAL ARTISTS!!!!!!!! ARRRGGGGG
PEACE
Labels: blazin in the boro, hip hop, MTSU, murfreesboro, WMTS
